Massachusetts coronavirus cases increase by 844, the most since May

An ongoing trend of rising coronavirus cases continued on Friday when Massachusetts health officials reported 844 new infections — the most since early May — and three deaths as the highly contagious delta variant spreads.

The three new deaths reported by health officials brings the total number of COVID-19 fatalities to 17,714, according to state Department of Public Health data. As of Friday, a total of 672,488 total infections have been reported in the commonwealth since the beginning of the pandemic.

The seven-day average of daily cases now stands at 466, which is seven times the 64 daily cases seen on average in late June.

Hospitalizations are also beginning to climb again following a long decline and plateau as coronavirus vaccines became more widely available.

There are 197 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized with 40 in the ICU and 21 intubated. The seven-day average of hospitalizations is 150, which is up from about 85 at the beginning of the month.

Massachusetts’ seven-day average of positive tests is 2.07% on Friday — a sharp increase from the 0.5% positive test rate seen prior to the emergence of the delta variant. However, it’s still a fraction of the 30% positive test rate the state saw when caseloads first peaked in the spring of 2020.

As of Friday, 4.35 million people in Massachusetts had been vaccinated, which represents about 62% of the state population. About 64% of people have had at least one dose.

Despite the state’s high vaccination rate, the delta variant remains a concern prompting state officials to change the face covering policy.

It is now recommended that fully vaccinated people in Massachusetts indoors if you have a weakened immune system or if you are at increased risk for severe coronavirus due to age or medical conditions, according to DPH.

Previously, health officials did not recommend any vaccinated people wear a mask.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3j8G7oT